Relaunch of Inverness Hi-Bike Scheme

An appeal is being issued in Inverness for the public, and in particular young people, to allow a popular electric bike hire scheme in Inverness to resume and flourish.

It comes as HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, relaunches on Wednesday 31 July) the HI-Bike service, which was suspended in late June due to widespread mis-use of the scheme, through vandalism and theft.

Additional security measures have been introduced on the docking stations to prevent the bikes from being forceably removed;  smaller baskets are being installed to prevent joyriding which was prevalent with the larger baskets; and HITRANS have been working closely with Police Scotland, the British Transport Police and Inverness BID to identify ways of combatting the mis-use of an important public resource.

HITRANS are also planning to engage with Community Councils and local schools to make them more aware of the value and benefits of the publicly-funded scheme and the consequences and costs of vandalism and theft.

The scheme, which also operates in Fort William, proved a success in the city after its introduction three years ago with an encouraging increase in the number of people hiring the bikes on a one-off or regular basis.

However, a spate of vandalism in the run up to the school holiday break saw all but 6 of the bikes damaged , some beyond repair, and left HITRANS with no option but to suspend the service.

The estimate of the damage is approaching £100,000.

Most of the bikes have now been repaired as have a number of the docking stations which were buckled as vandals tried to wrench the bikes out of their docks for a joyride.

HITRANS have video evidence of acts of vandalism which clearly identify those responsible and are hopeful that the police will be able to take appropriate action.

The service will be restarted on a phased basis. Initially, bikes will be available at the most popular bases, namely the Railway Station (Falcon Square), Hilton Community Centre, The Highland Council HQ on Glenurquhart Road, and the Inverness Campus at Beechwood.

Other docking stations are at the Charleston Community Complex, Culloden Library, and Great Glen House, Leachkin

There are also plans to open a docking station at the Torvean Mobility Hub and at Raigmore Hospital.

In total there are 48 bikes in the Hi Bike scheme in Inverness.

It is also intended to introduce the scheme in Elgin next summer.

Ranald Robertson, Director of HITRANS, said:  “Over the summer we have taken stock of the scheme and we are ready to relaunch in a phased way, starting with the most popular locations.

“We have repaired enough bikes to provide a viable service and introduced additional security measures at the docking stations to prevent the bikes from being forced out of their docks.

“The key issue,  of course, will be to get the support of the public in recognising the benefits of this publicly funded and environmentally friendly service.  We are busy working with the police and key stakeholders to identity actions we can take to prevent a recurrence of the recent vandalisms and thefts.

“A positive of the recent spate of mindless vandalism, often committed in the centre of our city at peak travel times and in full view of CCTV cameras, is that there is greater awareness of the scheme and its benefits. We can only hope that if any member of the public notices vandalism at a docking  station they will report it immediately to the police.”